Calculator for determining required extensible crane boom for use on a particular job site

ABSTRACT

A calculator for determining the necessary extensible, mobile, crane boom required for use on a particular job site wherein a pair of cooperating slides are carried within an envelope having two window openings for exposing the respective slides. One window opening is provided with indicia representing the height of a static structure, the slide exposed by the window carrying indicia representing a static structure, such as a multi-story building and the widths of the buildings, the other slide being disposed perpendicular to the first slide and carrying indicia representing a mobile crane boom having the boom slidably and rotatably mounted thereon, the window for exposing the second slide containing indicia representing the distance the mobile crane is to be positioned from the building.

United States Patent Ghysels 1451 Aug. 29, 1972 [54] CALCULATOR FOR DETERMINING REQUIRED EXTENSIBLE CRANE BOOM FOR USE ON A PARTICULAR JOB SITE [72] Inventor: David G. Ghysels, Hagerstown, Md.

[73] Assignee: Grove Manufacturing Company,

Shady Grove, Pa.

22 Filed: Sept. 28, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 76,075

[52] US. Cl ..33/97 [51] Int. Cl. ..B43l 7/00 [58] Field of Search ....33/76, 97, 94, 92, 15 D, 15 B;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,206 3/1913 Norman ..33/92 FOREIGN PATENTS on APPLICATIONS 732,460 6/1955 Great Britain ..33/97 Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian Attorney-Brady, OBoyle & Gates [57] ABSTRACT A calculator for determining the necessary extensible, mobile, crane boom required for use on a particular job site wherein a pair of cooperating slides are carried within an envelope having two window openings for exposing the respective slides. One window opening is provided with indicia representing the height of a static structure, the slide exposed by the window carrying indicia representing a static structure, such as a multi-story building and the widths of the buildings, the other slide being disposed perpendicular to the first slide and carrying indicia representing a mobile crane boom having the boom slidably and rotatably mounted thereon, the window for exposing the second slide containing indicia representing the distance the mobile crane is to be positioned from the building.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED ms 29 I972 SHEET 2 OF 2 l l l I I II INVENTOR DAVID 6. GHYSELS U Wi CALCULATOR FOR DETERMINING REQUIRED EXTENSIBLE CRANE BOOM FOR USE ON A PARTICULAR JOB SITE In the continuous use of extensible mobile crane booms in todays construction projects, particularly in the construction of multi-story buildings, it is necessary that the proper mobile crane be selected for the particular job. Heretofore, the selection of the particular crane could only be accomplished by one who was thoroughly experienced in the capabilities of the cranes, thus, the selection of the proper crane required the expertise of relatively experienced personnel, resulting in higher costs for the sale or rental of the particular crane to compensate for the service afforded by the experienced personnel.

In some instances, a mobile crane might be acquired for a particular joband once the crane has arrived on the job site, it is determined that the capabilities of the crane are either too small or too great for the particular job; all of which contributes to the added expense of the job for buying or renting the crane of greater or less a capacity than required.

To overcome the above noted disadvantages and to facilitate the selection of a proper extensible, mobile crane boom for a particular job site by one unfamiliar with the capabilities of extensible crane booms, the calculator of the present invention has been devised which comprises, essentially, an envelope having two window openings for exposing a pair of respective, cooperating slides. The slide exposed by one window carrying indicia representing a static structure, such as a multistory building and various widths of a building, the window having indicia carried along one edge thereof representing the height of the static structure; the other slide exposed by the other window is disposed perpendicular to the first slide and carries indicia representing a mobile crane boom having the boom slidably and rotatably mounted thereon, the window exposing the second mentioned slide containing indicia representing the distance the mobile crane is to be positioned from the static structure or building at which the crane is intended to be used. By the construction and arrangement of the calculator of the present invention, the first mentioned slide can be manipulated to indicate the height of the structure at which the crane is to be employed. By manipulating the second slide to the indicia representing the distance away from the structure the crane will be positioned, the indicia representing the crane boom can be adjusted to the proper working angle and length of boom required whereby the proper mobile crane for the particular job can be selected. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view of the face side of the calculator showing the structural relationship of the slides and the crane boom indicia carried by one of the slides;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the various components of the calculator of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the face side of the calculator showing the relative positions of the slides when calculating for a particular crane to be used for a particular job.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4, the calculator of the present invention comprises, an envelope 1 having two window openings 2 2 and 3 for exposing a pair of slides 4 and 5, respectively. Slide 4 carries indicia 6 thereon representing a static structure, such as a multi-story building the slide also carrying indicia 7 representing various widths of structures, and the window 2 carrying indicia 8 representing various heights of the buildings.

Slide 5, exposed by window 3, is disposed perpen dicular to slide 4 and carries indicia 9 representing the mobile crane carrier having the boom 10 slidably and rotatably mounted thereon, to be described more fully hereinafter, the window 3 containing indicia ll representing the distance the mobile crane is to be positioned from the structure.

The details of the envelope 1 for the slides 4 and 5 are clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 wherein it will be seen that a front sheet 12, carrying the windows 2 and 3, is secured to a back sheet 13 by suitable fasteners 14, such as grommets (FIG. I). An intermediate sheet 15 is interposed the front and back sheets and is provided with a cut-out portion 15a for receiving the slide 4. An insert 16 is also interposed the front and back sheets and cooperates with the lower edge 15b of the intermediate sheet to form a recess for slidably receiving the slide 5.

Slide 5 not only carries the mobile crane boom indicia 9 and 10 but also indicia 17 representing the center line of the mobile crane turntable and indicia 18 representing the angle of elevation of the boom. The indicia 10 representing the crane boom comprises an arm pivotally secured to slide 5 by a suitable pin 19 and washer 20, the pin extending through a slot 3a formed in the window 3 and a similar longitudinally extending slot 10a formed in the arm representing the boom. The arm representing the crane boom is also provided with a graduated scale 10b indicating various lengths to which the boom may be extended, including a jib portion 100, connected to the boom end 10d, conventionally employed with extensible booms, the arrn also being provided with indicia 10e representing the longitudinal axis of the boom.

The use of the calculator of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 5, and while the units of measure arev graduated in the metric system, viz meters, the calculator could also be graduated with the U. S. equivalent. Assuming that it is desired to determine which size mobile crane boom would be required at a building site, where the height of the building is 20 meters, its width 15 meters and the distance from the building where the vehicle will be supported is 9 meters, slide 4 is first manipulated so that its upper edge is aligned with the 20 meter graduation on window 2. Slide 5 is then manipulated so that the center line indicia 17 is aligned with the 9 meter graduation on the window 3. The arm 10 is then manipulated so that the boom end 10d will have a working distance of approximately 2 meters above the building,. With the setting of the slides 4,5 and arm 10, a reading can be taken of the graduation 10b aligned with the pin indicating that a boom length of 33 meters will be required. The indicia We on the arm representing the longitudinal axis of the boom also becomes aligned with a graduation on the angle of indication scale 18 on slide 5 indicating that the boom will be operating at an angle of approximately 35.

The calculator can be used in a similar manner to choose the proper size machine or boom for position- While the calculator of the present invention has been described for use with mobile cranes having extensible booms, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the calculator can also be employed for other extensible members such as ladders and the like, and can also be used for fixed or lattice type booms.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. A calculator of the character described for determining the proper ground-supported extensible member to be employed for facilitating access to a static structure extending vertically with respect to the extensible member, said calculator comprising support sheet means, first indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing various heights of a static structure, slide means mounted on said support sheet means, second indicia means carried by said slide means representing a static structure and various widths of static structures, said slide means being movable relative to said first indicia means for representing a static structure of predetermined height, third indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing an extensible mobile crane boom, second slide means mounted on said support sheet means and extending normal to said first-mentioned slide means for pivotally and slidably connecting said third indicia means to said support sheet means in proximity to said first indicia means, the indicia means representing the crane vehicle, the centerline of the crane turntable, boom inclination scale and an arm representing the crane boom being carried by said second slide means, means pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means, length graduations being carried by said arm, and fourth indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing the horizontal distance the extensible mobile crane boom is to be placed from the static structure, said second slide means being movable relative to said fourth indicia means, whereby said third indicia means may be manipulated over said first indicia means to determine the proper length and angle of inclination of the extensible crane boom to be employed with the static structure.

2. A calculator of the character described for determining the proper ground-supported extensible member to be employed for facilitating access to a static structure extending vertically with respect to the extensible member, said calculator comprising support sheet means, first indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing various heights of a static structure, slide means mounted on said support sheet means, second indicia means carried by said slide means representing a static structure and various widths of static structures, said slide means being movable relative to said first indicia means for representing a static structure of predetermined height, third indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing a ground-supported extensible member, second slide means mounted on said support sheet means and extending normal to said first-mentioned slide means for pivotally and slidably connecting said third indicia means to said support sheet means in proximity to said first indicia means, the indicia means representing the extensible member being carried by said second slide means, fourth indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing the horizontal distance the extensible member is to be placed from the static structure, said second slide means being movable relative to said fourth indicia means, said support sheet means comprising an envelope formed by a front sheet secured to a back sheet and an intermediate sheet interposed the front and back sheets, a pair of recesses formed in the intermediate sheet for receiving the respective slide means and a pair of window portions formed in said front sheet for displaying the respective slide means, whereby said third indicia means may be manipulated over said first indicia means to determine the proper length and angle of inclination of the extensible member to be employed with the static structure.

3. A calculator according to claim 2 wherein the extensible member represented on the third indicia means comprises an extensible mobile crane boom, indicia representing the crane vehicle, the center line of the crane turntable, boom inclination scale and arm representing the crane boom being carried by said second slide means, length graduations being carried by said arm, and means pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means.

4. A calculator according to claim 2 wherein the means for pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means comprises a pin extending through said arm, front sheet and second slide means.

5. A calculator according to claim 4 wherein a longitudinally extending slot is formed in the arm whereby the arm may be moved longitudinally relative to the pivot pin to aligna length graduation on the arm with the pin.

6. A calculator according to claim 5 wherein a slot is formed in the window portion in front of the second slide means, whereby the arm carried by the second slide means may be moved in a direction normal to the first-mentioned slide means. 

1. A calculator of the character described for determining the proper ground-supported extensible member to be employed for facilitating access to a static structure extending vertically with respect to the extensible member, said calculator comprising support sheet means, first indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing various heights of a static structure, slide means mounted on said support sheet means, second indicia means carried by said slide means representing a static structure and various widths of static structures, said slide means being movable relative to said first indicia means for representing a static structure of predetermined height, third indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing an extensible mobile crane boom, second slide means mounted on said support sheet means and extending normal to said first-mentioned slide means for pivotally and slidably connecting said third indicia means to said support sheet means in proximity to said first indicia means, the indicia means representing the crane vehicle, the centerline of the crane turntable, boom inclination scale and an arm representing the crane boom being carried by said second slide means, means pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means, length graduations being carried by said arm, and fourth indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing the horizontal distance the extensible mobile crane boom is to be placed from the static structure, said second slide means being movable relative to said fourth indicia means, whereby said third indicia means may be manipulated over said first indicia means to determine the proper length and angle of inclination of the extensible crane boom to be employed with the static structure.
 2. A calculator of the character described for determining the proper ground-supported extensible member to be employed for facilitating access to a static structure extending vertically with respect to the extensible member, said calculator comprising support sheet means, first indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing various heights of a static structure, slide means mounted on said support sheet means, second indicia means carried by said slide means representing a static structure and various widths of static structures, said slide means being movable relative to said first indicia means for representing a static structure of predetermined height, third indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing a ground-supported extensible member, second slide means mounted on said support sheet means and extending normal to said first-mentioned slide means for pivotally and slidably connecting said third indicia means to said support sheet means in proximity to said first indicia means, the indicia means representing the extensible member being carried by said second slide means, fourth indicia means carried by said support sheet means representing the horizontal distance the extensible member is to be placed from the static structure, said second slide means Being movable relative to said fourth indicia means, said support sheet means comprising an envelope formed by a front sheet secured to a back sheet and an intermediate sheet interposed the front and back sheets, a pair of recesses formed in the intermediate sheet for receiving the respective slide means and a pair of window portions formed in said front sheet for displaying the respective slide means, whereby said third indicia means may be manipulated over said first indicia means to determine the proper length and angle of inclination of the extensible member to be employed with the static structure.
 3. A calculator according to claim 2 wherein the extensible member represented on the third indicia means comprises an extensible mobile crane boom, indicia representing the crane vehicle, the center line of the crane turntable, boom inclination scale and arm representing the crane boom being carried by said second slide means, length graduations being carried by said arm, and means pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means.
 4. A calculator according to claim 2 wherein the means for pivotally connecting said arm to said second slide means comprises a pin extending through said arm, front sheet and second slide means.
 5. A calculator according to claim 4 wherein a longitudinally extending slot is formed in the arm whereby the arm may be moved longitudinally relative to the pivot pin to align a length graduation on the arm with the pin.
 6. A calculator according to claim 5 wherein a slot is formed in the window portion in front of the second slide means, whereby the arm carried by the second slide means may be moved in a direction normal to the first-mentioned slide means. 